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A succinct description of networking is "a process that cultivates the exchange of information and ideas among individuals or groups that share a common interest".

And there are few better places than exhibitions and trade shows to meet like-minded people with similar objectives.

You can help to nurture networking by making your stand a focal point for people to gather, particularly within a hospitality area.

This can be enhanced through presenting a workshop that will help to establish you as an authority on your specialist subject.

Newsletters

The GDPR has had a significant impact on the usage of email marketing. By placing the emphasis on permission and security, it means that distributors of email need to have robust systems in place.

Failure to comply could result in a maximum fine of £17 million or 4 per cent of annual global sales (whichever is greater).

However, for the majority of responsible businesses, nothing much has changed. As always, the focus should be placed on sending useful information to people who have previously explicitly expressed an interest and voluntarily provided their email address.

Your digital newsletter can be a very useful vehicle to promote your presence at an exhibition and encourage people to visit your stand. Of course, you need to ensure the benefits of attending are attractive to the email recipients.

In other words, don’t just say “Come and visit us at …”. Rather, “If you visit us at …, you will gain benefits X, Y, and Z”.

Your newsletter can also be used after the event to share highlights and, if you have segmentation functionality, different versions can be created and sent depending on whether people attended or not.